Guy Hugs
by Ares' Warrior Babe
Summary: A look at out favourite noncouple's progressing relationship through the eyes of their friends.
1. First Time and Cam

**A/N: Okay so this was supposed to be a one-shot and the first chapter wasn't even what the one-shot was! It's chapter five! But when letting my twin read it, I must learn to realize, nothing can ever be a one-shot with her. So she told me I had to write more. So this is more. Anyway I have some of it written. Oh and the italics are dreams that Booth and Brennan are having.**

**A/N 2: This takes place right after Aliens in a Spaceship. And I may be posting two chapters as one just to make it longer. I hate posting short chapters, so this is going to be two chapters.**

**Chapter One: First Time**

_Oxygen was become scarce. She gasped for breath and tried to scream. "Booth," she tried to say. The walls felt like they were closing in on her._

_Tears streamed down her face. Her breaths became ragged. She closed her eyes, "Please," she whispered._

Temperance Brennan woke up gasping for air. Her hair was matted down with sweat. The sheets around her legs were tangled. Brennan's eyes were filled with tears. She shook in terror.

"Please go away." She whispered.

Hesitantly she got out of bed and slipped on an oversized FBI sweatshirt. Brennan grabbed her keys and ran out the door to her car. She needed to be safe, she needed reassurance. She needed Booth.

**xXx**

**XxX**

"_Bones!" Booth screamed. He fell onto his hands and knees in the dirt. His hands and fingers worked fast to move the dirt away from where Brennan was buried. "Bones!"_

_He finally felt skin beneath his hands. He dug faster. Auburn hair began showing. "Bones!" There was no response. "Come on, Bones! Answer me!" He pulled her out of the dirt and listened for a breath._

"_Bones, please wake up." He pleaded._

Booth woke up in a cold sweat. His breath was slightly ragged. "Calm down, she's okay." Booth told himself.

He cocked his head to the side as he heard a soft knocking at his door. Slowly he got out of bed, fear gripping him. Booth looked through the peephole and saw his Bones standing there. The door opened swiftly. "Bones, what's wrong? Are you okay?"

"I, um, actually I don't know. I just need to not be by myself." She replied softly. He opened the door wider and led her to the couch. They sat in silence for a few moments. "I keep having nightmares." She took a breath. "You couldn't get to me in time."

Booth tipped her chin up so she was looking at him. "I will always be there to rescue you." He gave her a smile.

She smiled back. "I don't need rescuing." She let out a yawn.

"Bones why don't you go get some more sleep?" He didn't wait for her to answer. Booth pulled her up from the couch by her hand and led her back to his bedroom. She sat on the bed as Booth turned to leave.

"Booth," He turned back to her. "Could you stay?" She asked softly.

He nodded and walked back to the bed and settled down in the covers beside her. Brennan snuggled close to his chest. _'So this is what it would be like.'_ Booth thought. He kissed the top of her head. "Sweet dreams, Bones."

The couple fell asleep soon, knowing that they were safe in each other's arms.

**xXx**

**XxX**

Booth woke up and felt warmth along the left side of his body. He smiled. _'I could definitely get used to this.'_ Booth pulled Bones closer and closed his eyes. They shot back open when he felt her stirring beside him. He closed them again and pretended to be asleep.

Brennan opened her eyes as her internal alarm clock told her it was time to get up. She rolled away from Booth slightly and checked the clock. _5:30. _She made a face at the clock, wanting nothing more than to snuggle back into Booth and go back to sleep. Brennan smiled to herself.

'_Angela would have a field day with this.'_ Thinking of Angela reminded her of Hodgins. She shivered involuntarily as she remembered cutting into his leg. Bones felt Booth pull her closer to him. A smile graced her lips. "My knight in standard FBI issued armor." She said softly, recalling Angela saying those words.

She attempted to get out of bed and go back to her apartment to change, but Booth held her tightly. "Booth," she whispered. He didn't respond. "Booth," she said again while poking him in the chest.

"You don't have to poke me, Bones." He said. His voice startled her. "Sorry, didn't mean to scare you."

"How long were you up?" she asked.

"Not long." Brennan glared at him, knowing he woke up before her.

"I need to go get ready for work." She said. "Which means you need to let me go."

"Bones, it's 5:30. You don't need to get ready this early. Just relax for a little longer." Booth replied, not wanting to let her go.

They laid in silence for a few minutes. "Is this weird?" She asked. He gave her a confused look. "I mean me being in your bed with you." Booth grinned at her. "That came out wrong."

"It did?" He was still grinning like the Cheshire Cat.

Brennan hit his arm. "Yes it did! Do you think it's weird? I mean I thought it would be, but I'm actually comfortable."

"Me too. I think it's not weird for us because we trust and respect each other. We both feel safe when the other person is around."

Brennan thought it over for a moment before wrinkling her nose. "I hate psychology."

Booth smiled. "I know, Bones." They stayed in silence, both content in each other's arms. Brennan closed her eyes, enjoying the safety and warmth of Booth. Her breaths became even and Booth checked to see if she had fallen back asleep. He smiled at the sight of his partner. _'She looks so cute.'_ He thought. Booth pulled her closer and fell into the arms of Morpheus with his partner.

**M'kay that was chapter one. Now onto chapter two! The italics in here are a flashback. This takes place at the end of The Headless Witch in the Woods.**

**Chapter Two: Cam**

"Hey, you're my partner. Okay? It's a guy hug. Take it." She hears Booth say as she walks towards Dr. Brennan's office. Cam peaks around the corner and sees the two hugging each other tightly. Brennan had buried her face in Booth's neck and Booth had his arms wrapped around her securely. It looked like he was trying to shield her from something that only they could see. _'Since when do partners give 'guy hugs'?'_ She wondered.

Cam thought back two weeks ago when they pulled Brennan and Hodgins out of the dirt. He was the first one to reach them; he saved their lives. The look he gave her when she was safe with him was permanently imprinted in Cam's mind. She tried to erase the scene that constantly came to mind when she thought of the Gravedigger.

_Cam watched as Zack and Angela fussed over Hodgins. She turned to face Booth and watched as her two colleagues spoke to each other in soft tones. Booth had leaned in close to her, ignoring any objectivity of personal space, but Brennan didn't seem to mind. In fact, it looked like she welcomed it._

_Discreetly, Cam moved closer to the couple to hear the words they were exchanging. "I knew you would get us out." Brennan whispered._

"_It wasn't just me. Your squints are the ones who figured out where the two of you were buried." Booth noticed her shiver slightly at the mention of being buried. He pulled her close to him and whispered, "I'm sorry." She clung to him tightly as he ran his fingers through her hair. "You're safe now."_

_Brennan pulled back slightly. "Yeah, thanks to my knight in FBI standard issued armor." She smiled at his confused look. "Angela said it." He smiled at her._

_Cam was surprised that Brennan would call anyone her knight. The woman she knew needed no rescuing. If anything, she did the rescuing. Her eyes grew wide as she realized that even though Brennan was a strong, independent woman, she liked having Booth as her knight._

"Come on, I'll take you home." Booth's voice pulled Cam out of her memory.

"I'm perfectly capable of getting myself home."

Booth laughed. "I know you are, Bones, but I don't want you to be alone."

"And why is that?" She challenged.

"Because no one deserves to be alone. _You_ don't deserve to be alone." Cam saw Brennan smile at him.

'_He'll never be mine.'_ She thought as she watched the pair walk out of the lab.

**xXx**

**XxX**

**And that was chapter two! I've really got to stop writing this at school. I keep smiling when I put B/B together and people are giving me weird looks! Stay tuned for chapter three and a new chapter of Too Late!**


	2. Zack, Jack, Sully and Max

**A/N: I know it's been nearly two months since you've gotten anything for GH and TL, but I had no inspiration until Thursday in English when we started watching the stupidest thing ever! So here is Zack's, Jack's, Sully's and Max's chapter. Zack's takes place during Judas On A Pole.**

**xXx**

**XxX**

**xXx**

**XxX**

Zack stared out the window, his eyes focused on Booth and Brennan. He could feel a smile tug on his lips as Booth tipped Brennan's chin up. _'I wonder if he'll kiss her…'_ A bigger smile appeared when he thought of Angela missing their maybe-kiss. Zack wasn't as oblivious as everyone thought he was. He saw the discreet looks Booth gave Brennan, he saw the smile that came onto her lips when Booth came into the lab. He also saw the sparkle that disappeared from her eyes when she found out he was dating Cam. Zack knew she was hurt by that; it was why she stayed later at work now, she didn't want to go home alone.

"Zack," he jumped slightly and turned to Angela. "Where'd Bren go?"

"She's outside with Booth." _'Hopefully kissing.'_ Zack thought.

Angela had a grin on her face. "Tell them they need to get their butts in here!"

Zack rolled his eyes and walked over to the window. He lightly rapped on the glass and gestured for them to come in. _'Dr. Brennan would kill me if she knew I thought Booth was her soul mate.'_ He thought with a smile.

**xXx**

**XxX**

**A/N: Sorry Zack's is so short, I couldn't think of anything! Here's Jack's! Takes place during Man In the Cell.**

**xXx**

**XxX**

Jack stood outside Brennan's office, hidden by the shadows. He could hear their voices getting louder and angrier since Howard Epps had escaped prison both Booth and Brennan's tempers had been set off by the tiniest thing.

Jack jumped when he heard Booth's voice. "You don't understand!"

"No I understand it perfectly! You're acting like I'm some damsel in distress who can't take care of herself!" Brennan yelled back.

"That's not how I'm acting!" Booth screamed in anger.

"Yes it is! I don't need you to rescue me every time something goes wrong!"

**xXx**

Jack knew this was a private matter and knew he shouldn't be eavesdropping, but something was keeping him there.

**xXx**

"Bones," Brennan kept yelling. "Bones!" Booth tried to get her attention once more. "TEMPERANCE!" Brennan looked up at him. "You're right, I am acting like you can't take care of yourself. But it's because Epps wants _you!_ I don't want anything to happen to you, I want you safe. That's why I'm trying my damdest to keep you away from the danger." Booth's voice became softer. "I don't want you to be the one in the hospital."

Brennan looked to the floor. "I know you're just trying to help and I'm sorry for snapping at you. I'm just so used to doing things on my own." She took a deep breath.

Booth walked across the room and stood in front of her. "You're not alone anymore." He pulled her to him and held her tightly. "I will _always_ be here for you."

Temperance hugged him back fiercely. "Thank you." She whispered.

**xXx**

Jack smiled at the couple. _'Angela's gonna be so pissed she missed this!'_ He left the doorway in a hurry to find his girlfriend.

**xXx**

**XxX**

**A/N: Here's is Sully's. Takes place after The Bodies In the Book. This one was fun writing! –Insert evil smirk!-**

**xXx**

**XxX**

Thunder cracked loudly outside of Tempe's bedroom window. She tried to suppress the shiver of fear from running down her spine. _'It's an irrational fear. It's just cold and warm air mixing.'_ Thunder crackled again. '_And making a really loud noise!'_ Temperance felt Sully's arms around her, but they offered her no comfort or safety. As quietly as possible she removed his arms and slipped out of bed. She quickly threw on Booth's FBI sweatshirt that she still had over her sweatpants and grabbed a pair of sneakers. "Tempe?" She froze at the sound of his voice. "Where are you going?"

"I need to go to the lab." Tempe jumped slightly at the thunder.

Sully noticed her jump. "Are you afraid of the thunder? It's just thunder, it can't hurt you. Come back to bed; I'll keep you safe, I promise." He said with a lazy smile.

"I'm not scared, I just really need to get to the lab."

"Tempe, it's 1:30 in the morning, whatever you need at the lab can wait."

"It can't wait. I need to go." She picked up her car keys and walked out the door without looking back.

**xXx**

**XxX**

The storm had gotten worse on her way to the lab. Usually when it was storming she couldn't hear the thunder penetrating the walls of the lab. She jumped when she heard a voice in her office. "Bones what are you doing here? It's late."

"Booth you scared me." She looked at his disheveled hair in the soft light that came from the lamp on her desk. "What are _you_ doing here?"

"I was doing paperwork. And since you have all the notes in your office I figured I'd do it here." Booth answered.

"With your eyes closed?" She questioned with a smile.

"I wasn't sleeping, just resting my eyes." Thunder clapped and Bones jumped. "You're afraid of the thunder?" Amusement shone in his eyes.

"No!" She jumped again at the sound. Tempe saw Booth about to laugh. "Don't laugh." She whispered.

"Okay I won't laugh." He said with a smile. "It's okay to be scared. Parker's afraid of thunder."

"Parker's five." Temperance said with a look.

"So?"

"So, he's five, he's allowed to be scared."

Booth smiled. "Bones, you're allowed to be scared. Even if you think it's an irrational fear."

"I'm not scared, I just don't like it."

"Why don't you like it?" Booth asked softly.

Brennan moved to sit next to Booth on the couch. "I was about four or five when there was this really bad thunderstorm. It had woken me up and all I could hear was the thunder crashing. I remember running out of my room and frantically searching for my parents and I couldn't find them. I felt so alone and that's what scare me; that I'd be alone forever."

"And every time you hear thunder, you go back to feeling alone." Tempe nodded. "You know you're not alone. Sully was with you."

"It wasn't the same. Sully's just…Sully. He's a warm body."

"Am I just Booth?" 

Brennan smiled. "No, you're not just Booth." Booth smiled at her. "You're my friend who gives me guy hugs to make me feel better."

"Good." Tempe jumped at the thunder once more. "Bones," he said with a teasing tone.

"Shut up Booth!"

Booth put his hands up in a surrendering motion. "I wasn't going to say anything."

"Liar." 

Booth sighed and put his arm around Bones. "You're right. I was going to say that you're not alone, you'll always have me."

"I know." She smiled and laid her head on his chest. Tempe closed her eyes and focused on his heartbeat drumming in her ear. His arms were not Sully's; his arms were warm and safe.

Booth felt Temperance relax into his side completely. Thunder cracked once more and he smiled when Brennan didn't move. He moved away and laid Brennan down on the couch. "Sweet dreams, Bones." Booth whispered.

He started to move away from the couch when her hand grabbed his. "Stay here." She said groggily. "Heartbeat kept thunder out."

"Bones there's not enough room."

She tugged on his hand, pulling him down beside her. Lying her head on his chest once more and putting his arms around her she said, "We fit."

Booth rolled his eyes and smiled. _'She'll be the death of me.'_ He thought. "Is this my sweatshirt?" he asked when he felt the material under his hand. Booth felt her smile into his chest. "Thief!" he whispered in her ear.

She giggled. "Not-uh! You left it at my apartment, therefore I didn't steal it!"

"Whatever…thief." She giggled again.

"The thief needs her sleep." Tempe said with a yawn.

"Sweet dreams, Thief."

"Bones." She replied.

"Sweet dreams, Bones." They both closed their eyes and fell into a peaceful sleep.

**xXx**

Sully walked into the Jeffersonian. He left fifteen minutes after Temperance. _'What couldn't wait?'_ he thought to himself as he saw the light on in her office. He was shocked when he found Booth and Temperance wrapped up in each other's arms. _'She's cheating on me.'_ He thought.

Tempe's brow creased. "Mommy," she whimpered softly. Sully was tempted to comfort her, that voice making him weak. He was about to move when Booth stirred. "Mommy," she whimpered again.

"Bones, it's okay. You're not alone." Booth whispered to her. She relaxed and snuggled into Booth.

"Thank you." Brennan whispered to him before falling back asleep.

Sully watched Booth hold Temperance to him and his heart ached. _'She was always his.'_

**xXx**

**XxX**

**Here's Max! Takes place during Stargazer In A Puddle. That case is just so sad…**

**xXx**

**XxX**

Max stared at the guestroom his daughter had made up for him. He had been standing in the doorway for the past thirty minutes wondering what his daughter thought of him A small whimper came from down the hall. Max walked quietly to his daughter's room. "No," she whispered softly.

He walked over to her and sat on the bed. "Tempe, baby wake up." Max laid a hand on her arm and she screamed. "Okay, don't touch you, got it." He searched the room for her cell phone. "Ah-ha! Now where the hell is his number…" he mumbled to himself.

The phone rang three times before someone answered. "Bones why can't you sleep like normal people?" Booth said tiredly.

"Why is it you had to give my daughter such a weird nickname?" Max asked.

"Max? What the hell are you doing using Bones' cell phone?" Booth asked as he leapt out of bed.

"Because I figured that's where your number would be."

"Why are you calling me? Ready to turn yourself in?"

"Funny. Tempe's having a nightmare and I can't calm her down." Temperance screamed again.

"I'll be there in ten." Booth replied before hanging up.

Max nodded. He watched his daughter fight her unseen demons. "Come on, Booth. Where the hell are you?" Max muttered after ten minutes.

"Right here." Booth replied from the doorway. He walked over to the bed and leaned his hand down to brush away a lock of hair.

"Don't touch her, she'll scream." Max said. Booth glared at him and pushed her hair away from her face. "Why didn't she scream?"

"She only screams when someone she doesn't trust touches her." Booth winced at what he said. "I didn't mean it like that."

"I understand. So are you okay with her?" Booth nodded. "Okay then. I'm going to go get some sleep then." Max walked out of his daughter's room and down the hallway before stopping suddenly at a realization: Booth was wearing his pajamas. He walked back to the doorway and hid in the shadows, watching the couple.

**xXx**

**XxX**

"Bones," Booth whispered softly. Her eyes shot open and she gasped for breath. "It's okay. You're okay Bones." Brennan continued to gasp for breath. "Hey, look at me. I need you to breathe. Come on, Bones, breathe with me." She reached out and grabbed his hand tightly.

"You were in the car and I couldn't get to you in time and you died and I was my fault." Tears slipped down her face.

Booth pulled her to him and rubbed her back. "It's okay. I'm right here. I'm not going to leave you, I promise. I won't leave you." He whispered in her ear.

She nodded, her face still buried in his chest. A moment later she pulled back and moved to the other side of the bed, giving him enough room to slip in beside her. Booth obliged to her unspoken question and pulled her back into his arms once he was comfortable. "Go back to sleep." He said in a soothing tone. Booth placed a gentle kiss on her head as she snuggled back into him.

**xXx**

**XxX**

Max tried to conceal his grin as he realized that this was a familiar routine with the pair.

**xXx**

**XxX**

**xXx**

**XxX**

**So that was chapters 3 – 6. I hope you liked them and I'm working on the next chapter of Too Late!!!!**


	3. Angela

**So this one will probably be my favourite chapter of Guy Hugs to write. It's Angela's Point of View and it takes place during the last part of 'The Wannabe In the Weeds' through the two-week period of no Booth and to the beginning of 'The Pain In the Heart'. There is sooooo much I need to put into this. Unfortunately since it's just from Ange's pov, I will need to write one from Bren's pov as a different story to fully achieve the emotion. But anyway, here's another installment of Guy Hugs. Up next will be Too Late.**

**Anyway, when I was thinking of this chapter, all I could see was this one scene from Grey's Anatomy and I built my chapter around that scene. **

**xXx**

"_SEELEY!" _The shout seemed so loud. We all turned to the voice_. "I'm doing this for us."_

Bren was the only one who didn't hear Pam Noonan scream for Booth. She was still singing. Pam pulled out a gun and aimed for Bren; for my best friend. Booth instantly reached for his gun, but it was too late to fire. Instead he stood up, right in the path of the oncoming bullet. It wasn't meant for him. He stumbled as the music stopped before falling in front of the stage. I heard a scream before recognizing it as my own. Bren and Pam wore matching expressions of horror. It was disturbing to see what they had in common.

Pam became angry and went to shoot Brennan again, only this time it was my best friend who was faster. She picked up Booth's fallen gun and fired without missing a beat. The bulled caught Pam right in the throat. I know its horrible for me to be happy about that, but I am. Pam was a monster who was killing not one person, but two. I know that if Booth dies so will Bren.

After she fired the bullet Brennan turned back to Booth. I could hear Jack screaming. _"Zack! Call 911!"_

Bren just stayed right next to him the whole time. I could tell she was applying pressure to his wound, trying desperately to keep him alive. Then she did something I rarely have ever seen her do; she started to cry. "_Booth, you're going to be fine. I'm right here. God. You're gonna do this. You're gonna be fine. You're going to make this."_

It was heart-wrenching. M best friend literally had the life of the man she loved in her hands and she was trying so hard to save him._ "Come on! Come on! Booth! You're gonna make it! COME ON! COME ON! BOOTH COME ON! Come on come on come on. You're gonna make this, come on. Oh god."_

"_You're gonna do this. Come on! COME ON! Come on Booth! It's gonna be fine, come on Booth." _Her voice was shaking now. I wanted so bad to comfort her, but I was frozen with fear. What if Booth didn't make it? What would happen to Bren? To all of us? He's our family and I can't lose my family.

I hear her shouts and pleas for him get louder. "_Come on Booth no. No, come on Booth... COME ON BOOTH!"_

The paramedics came within minutes of Zack calling them. _'They need to get to Booth,'_ I realized. Slowly I moved from my spot beside Jack and to Brennan. "Sweetie, we need to let them get to Booth," Gently I pulled her up off the floor.

"No, I can't leave him, Ange."

"You don't have to leave him, you just need to move away a bit so they can get to him." I could feel the blood from her hands run on to mine.

"Ange," she whispered out. I could feel my heart breaking for her.

"Okay, sweetie, you go with him in the ambulance and we'll follow you." She didn't look back as she walked to where the EMT's were loading Booth.

**xXx**

The ride there was silent, but felt as though it was an eternity to get there. Brennan was pacing as we walked into the waiting room "They took him into surgery," she said calmly. "He stopped breathing on the way here and they had to intabate him." I gasped and turned to bury my face in Jack's neck.

"He'll be okay Dr. Brennan; He's strong," Cam told her.

"I know," Bren replied.

We waited in silence for hours. Brennan sat as still as stone until the Doctor came out. "Family of Seeley Booth?" We all stood up. The doctor looked confused for a moment, but then pushed it away.

"How is he? Is he…is he okay?" I asked anxiously.

A somber look crossed his face. "I'm sorry, but we couldn't save him. He couldn't breath on his own and he lost too much blood. I'm really sorry."

I cried. How do you cope when someone you loved dies? Through my tears I looked to Bren. She looked so calm, it scared me. Then she turned and left. I looked to Jack. "She needs to process," he said.

"I know," I whispered back.

**xXx**

A week went by and I could see that Brennan was hurting, but she would not show it. "Sweetie, it's okay to cry and be upset," I said one day as I followed her around the lab.

"Crying is irrational, Angela," she replied.

I reached out and grabbed her arm. "No, it's not. It'll make you feel better." She stared at me with cold eyes. "At least go home at a decent hour." I sighed as she walked away."

**xXx**

My phone rang in the middle of the night. "Hello?" I answered groggily. There was crying on the other end of the line. My eyes widened. "Bren, are you okay, sweetie?"

"I miss him," she sobbed.

"I'll be there in ten minutes."

**xXx**

I think I broke every speed law as I drove over to her apartment. I just knew I couldn't break my promise to her. She needed someone there with her. She was finally grieving.

Quietly, I let myself into her apartment. "Bren? Sweetie, where are you?" There was only one small lamp on in the living room; it gave everything an eerie glow. And then I found her. "Oh my God! Bren!" She was lying face down on the floor. I ran to her body and began to shake her. Her eyes fluttered open immediately.

Her blue eyes were now red from crying. "Oh, sweetie," I whispered out before laying down next to her. "Bren, what happened?"

She took a shallow breath. "I found his shirt. It was in one of my drawers, and I found it." She closed her eyes for a moment. "It still smelled like him." A tear fell from her eye and landed on the hardwood floor beneath her cheek "Everything feels like it's moving so fast, but I'm stuck watching it all in slow motion. And I can't seem to get away from the pain. The one person I need to help me through this is gone and I can't call him to come home and make everything okay again." More tears fell. "I feel like I'm suffocating and there's no way for me to get any air." Brennan closed her eyes. "I don't want to go through this," she whispered.

I reached over and grabbed her hand. "You're not alone, Bren."

**xXx**

Booth's funeral is today. Everyone is going, even Sweets, although there's something about him that seems a little off. The team stood at the staircase to the platform and watched as Bren talked about a skeleton. "It's time, Dr. Brennan," Jack told her.

She ignored him. "The metacarpal phalangeal joints are smooth, showing dexterity. Perhaps a musician…"

"That's enough. We're going. Now," Cam said.

"I have remains to identify. He could have a family."

"He's 500 years old. They've probably adjusted by now." I said.

"I'm not going. I've already made that clear."

"It's Agent Booth's funeral, Dr. Brennan. Losing a loved one is – " Sweets began.

Brennan sighed. "A partner, Sweets. I lost a partner."

"Someone close to you. The funeral allows you to grieve so you can come to terms with his death." He rebutted.

"The Arunta Aboriginal tribe in Australia grieve by burning down their village and – and moving to a new one. That seems no crazier to me than gathering around a hole in the ground."

"Being hostile won't – " Sweets began before I interrupted.

"Brennan...a word."

"Excuse me? Professional psychologist." He explained.

I held up a finger, telling him I just needed a minute with her. "Look. I know how you see things, and I respect that, but I need to ask you a favor." I held up Booth's funeral card. "I have to go to the funeral. I'm not going to be able to get through this alone. I've been crying for, like, days. I really need your shoulder here. I need my best friend."

**xXx**

"I knew Seeley Booth. He was a good man who earned my respect and affection. And I don't like many people. Booth had a selfless commitment to his work, first in the military and then the FBI. Two weeks ago, he made the ultimate sacrifice – giving his life to save his partner. And in the brave act, he showed us what greatness we are all capable of," Caroline said.

"That woman was aiming at me and I would have happily taken that bullet," Bren said to me."

"I know."

"May God's mercy and love shine on Seeley Booth as he takes his place beside the Lord," Caroline continued.

"If there were a merciful God, why wouldn't he have saved Booth."

Drums started playing as the officers prepare to fire their weapons. "Standby," An officer said. "At ease," he continued. I saw a man walk towards the coffin, as the rest of the officers continue to follow commands. "Aim." An officer pushed through Zack and Sweets and punched the man, knocking him to the ground. It was Booth.

"What the hell is going on?" I screamed. The casket is pushed to the ground and it opened up, revealing a dummy body inside.

"They appear to be fighting," Zack observed.

The man and Booth fought on the ground. The man punched Booth and Brennan ran over to the casket and grabbed the dummy's arm and used it to knock out the man. She immediately started to move towards Booth, looking extremely angry. "Bones! Nice shot. What?"

Brennan punched Booth in the jaw and then stomped off. Booth groaned. "That's gotta hurt," Hodgins commented.

Booth rotated his jaw and stood up. He quickly ran after his partner. Sunlight glistened off the medals on his uniform. "Bones! Bones, wait up!" I heard him yell to her. She turned abruptly and said something to him, but I couldn't make it out. I saw Booth grab her arm and pull her towards him before she began hitting his chest repeatedly. Bren finally stopped and Booth pulled her closer, holding her tightly.

Caroline turned to Sweets. "And you think they're just partners? You must be stupid."

"Okay, I know I should be happy about this, but what the hell is Booth doing here?" I interjected.

Sweets looked at me. "Isn't it obvious? He's alive."

"No duh, but isn't he supposed to be "dead"?"

"Well…"

I narrowed my eyes at him. "What do you mean 'well'?"

Sweets shifted his eyes from me to Booth and Bren, then back to me. "I knew he was alive the whole time."

"What?!"

"I knew! He had to go into hiding to catch," He pointed to the unconscious man. "that guy and the only way to do it was to make him think Booth was dead."

I was pissed. "Why didn't we know he was alive?"

"Because you weren't on the list," he replied easily.

"What list?"

"Agent Booth's list. He made a list of who he wanted to have know he was alive."

"Brennan wasn't on the list?" I asked, knowing she would've topped it.

"No, she was on the list. But I didn't tell her because I knew she was strong enough to deal with this kind of trauma."

I walked up to the tiny man and slapped him. "You had no right to determine that! Psychologist, or not. You weren't there when she finally broke down and could not stop crying. She couldn't breathe! I thought she was going to die!"

Caroline looked to me. "Because she couldn't breathe?"

"No, because of a broken heart."

"That's impossible," Zack said.

"No, it's not. When you love someone so much that being without them physically pains you, it's not impossible to die from a broken heart." I turned back to Booth and Brennan. "What they have is something so rare and powerful. Their love is pure and unending. But because of how deep their love for each other is, they each have the power to totally and completely destroy the other just by not being with them." My eyes drifted back to everyone else. "They are true soul mates."

**xXx**

**That was six pages on Microsoft Word. And I've gotta say, I really love this chapter. I think I may just end it here. Tell me what you think. Too Late is in the process of being written.**


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